Artist's Statement / Small Towns of NSW & Victoria | Ivan Goodacre

I have always been interested in images of the landscape. I was born in the Central West of NSW and I spent my early years on a farm, where my parents and grandparents owned a wheat growing property near Woodstock. I was often drawing and observing the landscape from an early age with an emphasis on crop farming areas. I have taken particular interest in portrayals of the landscape by early settler artists, such as Augustus Earle in his watecolour rendition of the Bathurst Plains and Eugene von Guerards’ Ballarat as it was in the Summer 1853-54.

In recent years I have taken a keen interest in the effects of climate on the landscape. With this in mind I began to focus on the communities with a view to establishing a better understanding of the psychological effects of climate on the populations and the sense of belonging that small communities experience and how this may have changed over time. This began with an investigation into my own family history and where this fits into the wider picture of European colonisation of grazing lands beyond the great dividing ranges.

The main theme of my current work is small settlements and their purpose, vibrancy and history. I’m interested in the architecture, layout and surrounding land features of towns, villages and significant properties in NSW and Victoria.

Ivan Goodacre